Before you were born, someone prayed for you.
Before you walked, someone survived so you could.
In Yoruba spirituality, Egungun are the ancestral spirits — honored, revered, and actively present within the community. They are not Orishas. They are not distant gods. They are the living lineage, the sacred continuation of those who came before.
Egungun represent memory made visible.
Death is not an ending.
It is a crossing.
In Yoruba spirituality, Yewa (also spelled Yegua or Ewa) is the Orisha associated with the River Yewa, and she governs one of the most misunderstood forces in existence: transition. She is connected to death, the afterlife, modesty, purity, and the sacred movement of the soul from one realm to another.
Yewa is not darkness.
She is passage.
Two souls. One destiny.
In Yoruba spirituality, nothing is accidental — and twins are never ordinary.
Ibeji (also spelled Ìbejì) are the divine twin Orishas who represent youth, vitality, balance, and sacred duality. They are protectors of twins, guardians of children, and living symbols of harmony between mirrored forces.
In a culture where twins are born at one of the highest rates in the world, Ibeji hold extraordinary spiritual importance.
There is a kind of healing that doesn’t come from a hospital.
It comes from the river.
In Yoruba spirituality, Erinle is the Orisha of medicine, healing, and hunting — a powerful force connected to rivers, freshwaters, herbal knowledge, and the wisdom of the forest. He represents precision, balance, and the sacred relationship between human beings and nature.
Aje (also spelled Ajé or Ṣàlùgá) is the powerful Orisha associated with wealth, economic success, markets, and honest exchange. In Yoruba cosmology, this Orisha embodies not just money, but the spiritual force that makes prosperity possible — the sacred energy behind fair trade, growth, enterprise, and abundance.
The end of the year is not just a date on the calendar. In Afro‑Cuban spirituality, it is a threshold — a sacred moment to pause, cleanse, honor what was lived, and consciously open the path ahead.
In Cuba, many of the rituals practiced today are rooted in African ancestral wisdom, carried across the ocean and preserved through generations. These rituals are not about superstition; they are about alignment, intention, and relationship with life.
At Beyond Roots Experiences, we believe that closing a cycle with awareness changes how you step into the next one. That’s why we want to share some Afro‑Cuban inspired rituals you can practice to release 2025 and welcome 2026 with clarity, protection, and renewed energy.
Imagine a space where culture, healing, and beauty come together. A place created for those of us who carry ancestral memory in our blood, who feel that tug to return—not just to a physical land, but to a deeper version of ourselves. That place exists in the heart of Old Havana, and it’s called Centro de las Raíces.
In Afro-Cuban spirituality, dance is far more than expression—it is invocation, memory, and embodiment. The movements you see during a ritual or performance are not random gestures; they are messages, codes, and living history. When an Orisha is honored through dance, every stomp, spin, and cry becomes a sacred act, rooted in the stories and powers of the African deities that traveled across the ocean in the hearts of the enslaved.
To understand these dances is to take a step closer to the soul of Afro-Cuban culture. Today, we focus on three Orishas—Oyá, Elegguá, and Yemayá—and explore the meaning behind their distinct and powerful dance expressions.
Havana is a city built on layers of history, where African heritage is present not just in the people, the music, and the traditions, but in the very fabric of its streets. The footprints of Africa run deep here—hidden in plain sight, waiting to be discovered by those willing to look beyond the postcard images of vintage cars and colonial facades.
This is not just a walk through Havana. This is a journey through the African footprints that have shaped its identity, resilience, and culture.
Black History Month is a time to honor the contributions, resilience, and brilliance of Black individuals throughout history. In this celebration of Afro-descendant excellence, we turn our spotlight to Cuba—a land rich in culture, history, and Afro-Cuban influence. This article pays tribute to Afro-Cuban icons whose talent and contributions have transcended borders, leaving an indelible mark on the world.
